Elementary public teachers taking strike action Monday

Although they're not saying right now what their plans entail, the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario said it will take provincewide strike action on May 11.

“We are not going to comment on strike action details publicly until we’ve had an opportunity to communicate with all our members this week,” said ETFO president Sam Hammond, in a press release.

“What’s important to realize is that the government and OPSBA want to layer on more bureaucracy into the education system, and compromise the ability of teachers to do what’s best for our students.”

ETFO members have been forced to take this action in response to demands during central bargaining from the Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA) and the Liberal government that would strip collective agreements, reduce teachers’ ability to use their professional judgement when providing instruction, and compromise students’ learning conditions, a press release said.

The union said OPSBA and the government have tabled numerous demands, including:

-Removing class-size language from collective agreements, which would give school boards latitude to increase the number of students in elementary classrooms;

-Directing how teachers should spend their preparation time, which would interfere with teachers’ ability to plan lessons, prepare specialized plans for students and engage with parents;

-Curtailing teachers’ ability to use their professional judgment in determining how to support student learning; and

-Rescinding the fair and transparent hiring practices that school boards are now required to follow under Regulation 274, which sets the rules school boards must follow when hiring for long-term occasional and new permanent teaching positions.

“OPSBA wants the ability to determine how teachers teach,” added Hammond.

“The person in the education system who knows your child best – your child’s teacher – would no longer be able to develop an instructional plan based on your child’s specific abilities and needs," Hammond said in the news release. "That doesn’t make any sense when it comes to what’s best for students.”

The Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario represents 76,000 elementary public school teachers, occasional teachers and education professionals across the province.